That's Our Girl
by blvdgirl
Summary: The locals of M9X163 seem perfectly friendly, that is until SG1 is drugged and Carter is kidnapped The guys rally to go rescue their girl, and Carter rallies to rescue herself. SJ
1. Chapter 1

Season 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate, but if I did...

CHAPTER1

The light through her eyelids was startling and pink, and her nostrils twitched at the thick honeyed odor of incense. Carter's muscles felt slow and unresponsive as she struggled to shake off sleep. This is wrong, she thought hazily, I feel wrong. She rallied her body in a sudden attempt to sit up–bam! She hit her head against something hard. Ouch! She rubbed the back of her left hand against her smarting forehead–she could feel a knot rising–and opened her eyes. Something is very, very wrong, her eyes confirmed as her vision cleared. Just where in the heck am I, she wondered.

The room was large and spacious, with a stained glass ceiling of all things. Bright, shimmering fabrics hung from the walls and the furniture. She was sitting up on what appeared to be a bunk-bed, for lack of a better word. They were little more than wooden slabs stacked together but covered in ornate cushions and drapes–two walls were lined with them. Almost comfortable, Sam thought beneath her disorientation and rising panic.

Sam heard a low sound not unlike laughter–she wasn't alone. She counted quickly; there were nine other women in the room with her. Realizing that she was awake, one of the women was approaching her. This woman was dressed differently than the others who were all dressed in filmy, pastel garments that Sam would feel awkward in even in bed. She looked a bit older, too. Maybe she's in charge, Sam considered groggily.

The woman was beside her now and gingerly gestured at Sam's head. Yeah, it hurts like hell, Carter thought. The woman gently took Sam's elbow to help her rise. The woman was cooing to her in a soothing voice. Sam couldn't understand her, but it seemed apparent that she wanted to help. Sam allowed the woman to assist her as she rose tentatively to her feet, thankful when her head clouded with dizziness, her knees went weak, and a wave of nausea hit her that someone was supporting her. The woman's firm grip kept her steady until the moment passed. Drugs, Sam understood suddenly. I must have been drugged.

The woman slowly led her away from the bunks to some cushions near a low table in the center of the room. Sam sat cautiously, adjusting her appallingly light and sheer clothing. White, she acknowledged, puzzled. Where are my own things? For that matter, where am I?

The woman offered her a warm fragrant drink from a silver cup. Sam shook her head to indicate that she didn't want it saying, "No thank you," and trying to ignore the ringing in her ears. But, the woman was insistent, touching her own forehead lightly and making soothing sounds. Perhaps it will help the pain, Carter conceded, and she took a small sip–mmmm, it tasted like a light herbal tea.

The woman took a soft damp cloth and tenderly touched it to Carter's forehead while Sam drank. The area to which the salve was applied began to tingle slightly, but it felt ok. Good even, Sam admitted with a sigh. She relaxed a bit as the tea and the medicine eased her headache and aching muscles. Her brain whirled–something in the tea must counteract the sleeping drought.

Carter's memories were returning to her as her head cleared. Unless she had been moved, she was on M9X-163. Daniel had been eager (perhaps too tame a word) to visit the moon because photos taken by SG-7 on their initial survey suggested an Asgard influence. Language had been an issue for the survey team, but Daniel had been confident that he would be able to communicate sufficiently with the locals when once on the planet. Or, moon, rather, Carter corrected herself.

The village was approximately 4 kilometers from the Stargate, so it had been a nice easy walk from the gate into town. According to SG-7's report, the natives had been friendly and eager to make them welcome, and they certainly did not disappoint. SG-1 was surrounded upon their arrival, greeted warmly, and presented with gifts–mostly of the fruit and nut variety. Daniel had discovered that their language was much more difficult to understand than he had expected, but, after what seemed like an hour of gesturing and grunting, he informed the team that the villagers had invited them to feast that evening. The Colonel had been more than happy to accept.

Sam had spent the afternoon with Teal'c investigating a series of caves that SG-7 had spotted about 3 kilometers southwest of the village near a picturesque lake. The mineral surveys done by the initial team had shown trace amounts of naquada, but the caves had yielded no great discoveries. Meanwhile, Daniel had spent the afternoon translating the glyphs on the ruins of a once prominent structure near the edge of the village while Jack had sat in the sunshine and leisurely watched his back. When Sam and Teal'c had arrived back from their survey, Daniel shared what he had learned with enthusiasm. According to the pictographs and runes, the people on the moon–they called themselves the Yotuns–had overthrown the gray god, referred to in the glyphs as "the deceiver", several hundred years ago with the help of the benevolent ruler, Thrym.

"Don't you see?" Daniel was oozing with excitement, "This Thrym must have been an Asgard who helped the people of this world overthrow a Go'auld."

"Thrym, huh?" asked the Coronel. "Never heard of him."

"I wonder if Thrym left behind a point of contact for the people here like Freyr did on K'Tau," Sam had speculated.

"Well," Jack had responded merrily rubbing his palms together, "We can ask the locals at dinner. That is if Daniel can figure out how to talk with them."

Daniel accepted the rub good-naturedly and closed his notebook. And then, Sam remembered, SG-1 had proceeded to the village commons for the feast.

The food had been simple but plentiful, and the team had relaxed into the cool comfort of the evening, laughing and eating and listening to the indecipherable chatter of the locals. It had even seemed that Daniel was picking up a basic understanding of their language as the meal progressed and had begun to try and question the Yotuns about their history. But, Carter couldn't remember the end of the feast. She couldn't remember setting up camp or going to bed. Man, were we taken in, she thought, drugged and apparently separated. She shook her head sadly and noticed that it had stopped ringing completely.

Looking around in attempt to assess her situation again, she was struck by the opulence around her, much more common among the Go'auld than the Asgard. She rose and walked towards the room's only doorway. It appeared to open to some sort of garden–she could see a fountain through the frame. The matron with whom she'd been sitting tried to stop her, but Sam pulled away. She stepped through the doorway but froze right outside of it, stunned by the distinctive sound of a zat. Two guardsmen flanked the door. They appeared human, Carter didn't sense a Go'auld presence, but were armed with zats. Sam held up her hands.

The matron stepped in front of Sam and nudged her back into the round room leading her once again to the cushions. Sam allowed herself to be led by the woman, but she would accept no other food or drink from her. Wherever she was, she was a prisoner, she concluded. And where was the rest of her team?

A/N-- Previously posted at Gateworld


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Jack was in a foul mood as he stepped back through the Stargate to M9X-163. His return had been delayed at Doctor Frasier's insistence–she wanted to make sure that all traces of the sleeping drought were out of his system and to run a myriad of other asinine tests on him before clearing him for active duty.

When he had awakened in the infirmary and been apprised of the situation by General Hammond, he had wanted to get back through the gate instantly. Now, five hours later by his watch, he was finally cleared and back through the gate. It was 1400 hours MST on earth which would mean that Carter had been missing for up to sixteen hours.

Teal'c met him at the gate. "Report!" demanded Jack. "And make it thorough, T. I don't want to miss anything."

Teal'c nodded and began, "I awoke at approximately 0600 hours this morning. I understood quite readily that I had been given a narcotic of some kind, for, as you are aware, I do not require sleep. I was lying along side you and Daniel Jackson very near the Stargate. We had been disarmed. I discovered that Major Carter was not with us. After assessing that neither you nor Daniel Jackson could be awakened by ordinary means, I followed emergency protocol and dialed earth to inform the SGC of our situation. General Hammond sent SG-3 to assist me in locating Major Carter and a medical team to return through the gate with you and Daniel Jackson."

"Yeah, Hammond told me that part Teal'c." Jack sounded terse. "What then?"

"SG-3 and I performed a sweep of the area between the village and the gate, finding no sign of Samantha Carter. When we neared the village, we were greeted by the inhabitants in much the same manner as yesterday. They act as though nothing is amiss."

Jack prompted Teal'c to continue. "It is most unfortunate that thus far we have been unable to speak with the villagers. Asking them directly about Major Carter's whereabouts would present an expedient solution to our problem."

"Yeah, well, I brought Sam's picture to show the folks." Jack replied. "Maybe that will get us somewhere. As per speaking with them, Daniel was still out when I left the SGC. Frasier thinks that his reaction to the whatever-the-hell-it-was was compounded by one of his allergy medications."

"Will Daniel Jackson be well?"

"Oh, yes. Doc says he's stable, for now, but that it's going to take a few more hours for him to snap out of it. That's all." Jack tried to sound blasé but his concern for his teammate was apparent in his voice.

"I am certain that Doctor Frasier will be able to overcome this difficulty, O'neill. She is a capable physician, and Daniel Jackson is adept at making recoveries."

"Yeah, well, let's get to work." With that, O'neill, Teal'c, and two members of SG-3 began a sweep of the village with Carter's picture leaving the other members of SG-3 to guard the gate. Two hours later, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Many of the villagers had seemed willing to help in that they smiled and gestured and wouldn't shut up, but the team members couldn't understand what they were trying to say.

The Colonel was exasperated. "Damn it! We need Daniel!"

Teal'c looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps there is another means of obtaining information regarding Major Carter."

"How's that?"

"Did not Daniel Jackson conclude that this planet is under the protection of the Asgard?" Teal'c asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, so?"

"Would it not be helpful then to contact them?"

Jack's face lifted, "Using the device that Freyr left on K'Tau?"

"Indeed."

SG1

The late afternoon light that shone through the roof's ornamental ceiling was fading. However, candles were being lit by the matron. There were nine other women in the room, including the matron. All Carter noted in dismay had blond hair and blue eyes; she fit right in, she thought, and shivered. The other women had left her alone though she'd been among them all day. Except for the matron, no one had attempted to communicate with her.

Carter had continued to refuse food and drink, fearing that it might be drugged. The matron had shown concern and had eventually consulted with one of the guards. Within minutes, the guard had returned to the room with Sam's canteen. The matron accepted it from him and brought it to Sam. Carter, in spite of her suspicions was touched by the gesture, and she drank very cautiously from the canteen–plain, ordinary, albeit slightly stale, water.

Carter's choices were limited. She could try to escape. It wouldn't be too difficult to get past the two guards at the door, but there could be other guards less easy to bypass somewhere else in the structure in which she was being kept. In truth, she had no idea where she actually was, which certainly put her a disadvantage strategically. Additionally, if the rest of SG-1 was being held prisoner, her escape attempt might endanger them. Her other option was to wait it out. Maybe her situation was not hostile; maybe she had been separated from her team for inexplicable cultural reasons–it had happened before. And, if something was really wrong, then her teammates would eventually rescue her. And, if they were being held captive as well, another SG team would be on the way. After all, they didn't leave people behind.

It was frustrating. She certainly did not want to just sit around and play damsel in distress, but she didn't want to compound or complicate her situation by doing something stupid. She needed more information before she could proceed. So, Samantha Carter did something that she didn't often do well, she waited patiently.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

General Hammond paced in the briefing room. His people were used to seeing it; he paced whenever there was something going on off-world that worried him. He paced often. In his mind he reviewed their situation. Major Carter was missing, Daniel was still unconscious in the infirmary, and Colonel O'neill and Teal'c were on K'Tau attempting to gather intelligence from the Asgard. And, his flagship team wasn't the only one off-world at the moment–SG-3 had remained on M9X-163 hoping to discover something about Sam's whereabouts, SG-6 was establishing a research outpost among the Lysinians of P6C-413, SG-8 was doing recon on P7G-922, and SG-2 was surveying an abandoned naquada mine on M3R-331. So many dangerous potentialities, so much at stake, and so, he paced.

Suddenly the klaxons sounded and the gate in room beneath him started to spin. "Unscheduled off-world activation." The General headed down to the control room. Sgt. Harriman was at the terminal. "It's SG-1's IDC, sir."

"Open the iris," Hammond stated cooly. If I was following protocol, he thought numbly, that code would already be locked out. With Major Carter missing, leaving that code active endangered everyone on earth, but Hammond wasn't ready to close the door yet–SG-1 had a tendency to turn up no matter what the odds. George watched the blue shimmering pool before him and prayed that Samantha Carter would walk through it. However, it was his 2IC and Teal'c that stepped through the event horizon and onto the ramp. Jack was scowling and Teal'c jaw was tight.

"General!" O'neill shouted. "A word."

"Report to the briefing room," responded Hammond as he headed back up the stairs. Hammond took a seat at the head of the table and awaited the apparently bad news.

When Jack and Teal'c arrived in the briefing room, Teal'c took a seat at the table, but Jack was too full of emotions to sit. He mimicked his superior officer by pacing and demonstrated his unique nervosity by fidgeting.

"Colonel? What happened?" Hammond began.

Jack stopped paced, looked at the general, and opened his mouth to speak. Then, his face contorted in anger, frustration, or both; he shook his head. "Teal'c," he said indicating that the Jaffa should speak.

Teal'c nodded his acquiescence, and the General directed his attention towards him. "We were able to speak to Freyr through the device on K'Tau."

"And?" Hammond prompted.

"What we discovered was surprising." Still pacing, Jack snorted and cursed under his breath. Teal'c continued. "M9X-163 is not currently under the Asgard's protection as we had believed. Rather, it is inhabited by a minor Go'auld named Thrym. Thyrm was, at one time, in the service of Re, but he was banished by Re for insubordination of some kind. At which point, it seems that Thrym stole a cargo ship and a sarcophogas. He fled to M9X-163 by ship, knowing that Re would not look for him there as it was under the protection of Thor at that time."

Hammond interrupted, puzzlement apparent on his face, "He fled to a moon under Asgard protection, and Thor just let him?"

Jack still pacing added sarcastically, "Oh, General, he hasn't gotten to the best part yet."

"Shall I continue?" Teal'c asked.

"By all means, Son." Hammond urged.

"Thrym assured Thor that he had no hostile intentions towards the Yotuns. He, in fact, requested asylum from Re. So, Thor allowed his presence on the moon. Apparently, Thrym lived peacefully on the planet for many years and became friendly with the natives. Freyr assured us that his behavior at the time indicated no malice or ulterior motives, so their monitoring of him became less and less of a priority."

"Which is exactly what the snake-head wanted," bursted O'neill. He stopped paced and looked at the General. "Once he'd gotten Thor off his guard, Thrym incited a rebellion."

"A rebellion against the Asgard?" Hammond was amazed.

Jack continued, his voice laced with icey disdain. "Yes, General, because our good buddy Thor was still only appearing to the Yotuns as a hologram, Thrym easily convinced them that he was a liar and a false god because he had never shown them his true form. The people believed Thrym and, get this, they asked Thor to leave. And Thor, being the kind of guy that he is, did."

Shock was evident on the General's face. "Are you saying that a Go'auld led a successful rebellion against the Asgard?"

Jack gave a cynical smile, "Not really a rebellion, sir." Jack paused and grimaced. "Thor just left–no fight at all."

"But why would the Asgard leave a planet in the control of a Go'auld?"

Suddenly, there was flash of white light in the briefing room, and an Asgard stood before them. "Perhaps, I can answer that question, General."

SG1

Sam was sleeping lightly. Her years in the field had taught her the importance of sleep even in hostile situations, but she couldn't let her guard down completely. A bell rang in the chamber. Sam's body was completely alert at the sound, but she didn't move. She did, however, open her eyes to survey the scene. The other women, she noted, were climbing from their bunks. They arranged themselves on their knees in the center of the room facing the one doorway and cast their eyes towards the floor.

The matron was at her elbow, gesturing that she too should rise. Internally, Sam grimaced. She was pretty certain that whatever this was could not be a good thing, but she heard Daniel's voice at the back of her head, "When in Rome..." She smiled in spite of herself, and joined the matron and the other women in the center of the room, kneeling behind them. She would not cast her eyes down, though; she planned to see whatever walked through that door.

A/N- Thanks for the encouraging feedback! All reviews are appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The three men in the briefing room looked at the Asgard in surprise. It was both like and unlike the Asgard that they had encountered previously. It was the same height and had the same face-shape and eyes as the other Asgard they had met. But, it wasn't gray-colored; it was a very light pink. And, it was wearing a long golden cape–the first clothing of any sort that they had seen on an Asgard.

General Hammond rose to his feet, "And you are?" He asked his voice a mixture of unbelief and politeness.

The Asgard smiled and made a sound not unlike laughter. Again, all three men, were taken aback. Never had they seen so much emotion expressed on an Asgard face and never in their wildest dreams had they even thought that the Asgard could laugh. "I see that I have surprised you," it began, still smiling, a small smile to match the small mouth. "Let me assure you that I am Asgard and that I am your friend. My name is Sif. I am life companion to Thor." And with this, the Asgard dropped into something quite similar to a curtsy.

Jack eyes widened, "You're Thor's wife?"

The Asgard straightened and looked at Jack warmly, "Yes, Jack O'Neill. Wife would be your closest term for understanding. I am Thor's life companion. And," she added addressing all of them, "I have come to offer you my assistance."

General Hammond had regained his composure. "Welcome. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sif. Can we get you anything? Food? Drink? Would you like to have a seat?"

Sif smiled. "Thank you for your attentions, General Hammond, but they are unnecessary. I am afraid that we must hurry." She looked pointedly at Jack, "Your life companion is in grave jeopardy."

Jack choked and coughed. Teal'c quickly brought him a glass of water that he ignored. "My what?" Jack finally blurted when he had some control over his vocal cords.

Sif seemed unfazed by his outburst. "Your Samantha Carter. I understand from Thor that she is your companion, that she walks and works at your side, that she provides you balance. Is that not correct?"

"Oh," Jack muttered, "when you put it like that, then it is correct. Major Carter is my second." His composure fully returned, he addressed the General as he added, "She's a very valuable member of my team." George smiled in what Jack assumed was understanding if not open approval.

Sif smiled, "Very well then. If you wish to save her, we must hurry."

General Hammond began, "I need a little more information before I can authorize any mission to rescue Major Carter..."

Sif interrupted, "I am sorry, General, but we just don't have the time." And with that she and the other members of SG-1 disappeared from the briefing room in a flash of light.

Hammond stared on dumbfounded. In the distance, he could hear a phone ringing. Then, Sgt. Harriman ran into the briefing room. "General, Daniel Jackson just disappeared from the infirmary."

SG1

It was a Go'auld. Sam's naquada-enhanced senses recoiled as he entered the room. Tall, golden, handsome, and full of swagger. The women around her bowed low, but she did not. She would not. I'm in the harem of a Go'auld, she surmised with disgust. His eyes swept over the women, a cocky smile firmly fixed on his lips. They stopped when they saw her, "Aw," he exclaimed and then said something in the language that she could not understand. The matron beside her stood and guided Sam to her feet. Then, two guards flanked her grasping her arms. The Go'auld smiled at her, "My new bride," he said in clear English, "Come with me." Then, he turned and strode purposefully from the room.

Sam felt herself lifted off the ground and carried between the two guards. She could struggle, she thought, but that would probably be a waste of energy. She still didn't know enough to make an escape attempt. These two are Jaffa, she realized, as she relaxed enough to let her senses work. The Go'auld had some Jaffa, then, which would increase the difficulty of her escape. But, she thought with determination, nothing is impossible. And, the Go'auld's use of the word "bride" strengthened her resolve to fight for her freedom. She just had to find a way.

The Go'auld led them across the courtyard into another ornate chamber that was clearly a bedroom. Carter was now terribly afraid, though her expression didn't reveal it. She couldn't help but sigh in relief when the Go'auld seated himself in a throne-like chair and indicated to his guards that she should be placed on the floor before him. There were four additional guards in the room, but they seemed to be human.

The Go'auld addressed her. "Major Samantha Carter of the Tauri, my new bride, my name is Thrym. I am the Lord of this moon and its people. It will be your honor to wed me tomorrow morning in a ceremony before the Yotuns. You are their gift to me."

Sam scowled, but did not answer. Her eyes burned with hatred. Thrym eyed her with desire. She was beautiful, this one. And strong. For a minor Go'auld, he had an incredibly effective network of spies, and so knew that she was a warrior of great repute among her people. He also knew that she was dangerous to him because of her powerful friends and allies. He had considered releasing her when his guards told him of her capture by the townspeople, but upon seeing her he knew that he couldn't free her. He wanted to possess her, to own her, to break her. In his mind, he considered hundreds of cruel pleasures.

"Speak, my bride. Tell me, are you not honored?" His voice and expression were haughty. His eyes were steel.

Sam just glared at him in angry silence. Thyrm laughed, then quicker than she could see, he arose and backhanded her across the face sending her to the floor. Her right check-bone fired in pain. He grabbed her roughly by the chin and pulled her face to his. "Do not defy me, my bride. There is no reward in my displeasure, only pain." And he kissed her, forcing his lips on hers and his tongue in her mouth. Sam struggled against him, kicking, hitting, and wriggling. She felt the Jaffa flank her again, securing her arms and body between them.

The intrusive kiss was broken. Thrym's face was only inches from her own. In anger and defiance, she spit into his eyes. But, instead of seeing hatred or anger in his face, she saw only amusement. And then she saw the torture stick.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Daniel woke with a start. He was in an Asgard healing pod. That didn't make any sense. He didn't remember getting injured or seeing the Asgard. Sensing his conscious state, the pod opened, and Daniel sat up. There seated beside the pod was Jack, his head lolled to the side sleeping. "Uh, Jack?" Daniel began cautiously. Waking Jack up was never a pleasure. "Jack?"

Then, he heard a voice that directed his attention away from his friend. "Hello, Dr. Jackson. I hope that you are now feeling better." Daniel studied the Asgard-like creature before him with surprise.

"Are you..." he began but trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his question.

Sif smiled. "Yes, Dr. Jackson. I am Asgard. I am female. I suppose that I should acclimate myself to that expression of surprise. Your brothers regarded me with the same confusion earlier."

"My brothers?" Daniel began, confusion evident. "Oh, Jack and Teal'c..." Then realising that his reaction to her might be considered rude added, "I'm sorry, I meant no offence."

Then Asgard tilted her head in acknowledgement. "Then, it is fortunate, that none was taken. I am Sif."

Daniel considered her name for a moment, then smiled. "Of course, Sif of the lovely golden hair, wife of Thor. Norse goddess of laughter and merriment, I believe."

Sif smiled at him indulgently as one might encourage a child, "Fanciful stories Dr. Jackson. But, it is true that I am the life companion of Thor."

Daniel looked back at Jack, surprised that his friend was still not awake. Sif answered his unasked question, "I am helping your friend sleep. He was agitated earlier, and I thought that rest would be beneficial for him."

"I see," responded Daniel. "And Sam and Teal'c?"

Sif's face fell–Daniel was surprised by how much emotion it conveyed. "Your friend, Teal'c, is in the forward chamber completing his kelnoreem. Your friend, Sam... I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but she has been captured by the Go'auld, Thrym." Then, she proceeded to tell him what had been learned about Sam's capture while he was still unconscious and to fill him in on the history of this particular Go'auld.

Daniel listened attentively to all that she had to say his expression growing darker and more concerned as she went on, and then summarized grimly, "So, let me get this straight. Sam's being held captive by a maniacal Go'auld, one who was so evil and crazy that he killed one of Re's wives and only just escaped Re's wrath by seeking asylum on an Asgard protected moon, who plans to marry her and torture her, not necessarily in that order. And, we are on the way to rescue her, but you will be unable to help us when we get back to the planet because Thor made a deal with this Thrym years ago promising not to intervene when Thrym led a rebellion against him and kicked him off the planet."

Sif seemed to sigh. "Yes."

"Let me guess," added Daniel wryly. "That last bit was the part that made Jack agitated."

"Yes."

"Then, if you're not supposed to be interfering, why are you helping us at all?"

Sif seemed to consider his question carefully, then answered in a confidential tone. "Based on the contract between Thrym and Thor, no Asgard can directly intervene in the affairs of the Yotuns. Freyr, Thor, and the other Asgard will honor this contract because to break it would be to incite possible war with the Go'auld. As you know, we are not currently able to enforce the protected planets treaty because of our war with the replicators, and, if the Go'auld had knowledge of this, many worlds of humans would be enslaved."

Daniel nodded and she continued, "However, the fate of the Yotuns has been a cause of discomfort for all of the Asgard for many years. Thor feels that he should never have granted Thrym sanctuary. His trust and good faith were his undoing. When your friends informed Freyr that Samantha Carter had been captured by the Yotums, we realized at once that she had been chosen to become one of Thrym's wives. Though it is dangerous, we have been monitoring the moon and its people. For the most part, Thrym lives a modest and quiet life for a Go'auld. He cannot live otherwise because he must remain hidden from the system lords. His most atrocious deeds lie in the treatment of his wives. Each year, it is the custom that he wed a new bride on Midsummer's Day. He will wed her, torture her, and then proceed to enslave her by using his altered sarcophagus."

Sif looked at Daniel, "I understand that you have experienced the power of a sarcophagus, but had you experienced Thrym's you would have felt very different effects. While it can heal the body, his sarcophagus stiffles the will and the spirit. So instead of losing her soul to the sarcophagus, your friend will lose her independence and vivacity. Her soul will be intact for him to torture for the rest of her youth, until he decides to revive her no more and casts her aside."

Daniel's mind filled with this disturbing picture. Sam being tortured, killed, and revived in the sarcophagus over and over again. Each time becoming less and less of their Sam.

Sif's face was filled with sorrow and disgust. "You ask why I help you, Daniel Jackson. I help because I wish for Thrym to be stopped. I've wished it for many years. And, though my intervention is indirect, in compliance with the contract, I hope that by giving you intelligence and beaming you back to the planet in a strategic location, I will be delivering the weapon that will finally end Thrym's tyranny over the Yotuns."

Daniel ingested all of her words and the gravity of the situation that she described. "Thank you. Thank you for doing what you can to help us save our friend."

"You are welcome." She continued, "I also give you this." She handed him a small blue stone.

Daniel examined the smooth stone in his palm."What is it?"

"It is a translation device. You need only hold it in your hand as you are doing. You will understand the Yotuns, and they will understand you."

His eyes grew in excitement and irrepressable curiosity, "The Asgard have translation devices? Why have we never encountered them before? Will this stone work for other languages?"

Sif smiled wryly at Daniel's enthusiasm but shook her head, "I'm afraid not, Dr. Jackson. It is only programmed to translate for the Yotuns. However, I hope it will assist you in your recovery of Samantha Carter."

Daniel's enthusiasm melted a bit and he looked a little sheepish."Thank you. It is a great gift, and, if it helps us rescue Sam, well, then it is the best gift you could possibly give to us."

SG1

Sam's body writhed in agony. She felt as though she had lived many lifetimes at the mercy of this vicious Go'auld, though she knew logically that it had been mere hours. Pain, fierce and vibrant, danced across all of her nerve endings. It was amazing that she was still conscious, but this Thrym seemed to know her limits. He seemed to want to keep her awake.

He would pause often to caress her face or, still worse, to talk to her. Honestly, she preferred the torture stick to either. But, apparently this Go'auld, like so many others, was enamored with the sound of his own voice. "It is always a lovely ceremony. A fine tradition. But, I must say, the Yotuns, have outdone themselves this year. Never have they presented me with a finer specimen..."

Blah, blah, blah, was all that Sam registered. Come on, she prompted herself, focus! Think of a way to get out of this before, well, before it gets really bad, she thought thinking all the while of that disgustingly ornate bed. Suddenly, Jolinar's memories popped into her head–the seduction of Binar on Natu It had been necessary, yes, but it had haunted Jolinar for the rest of her life. And, it had driven a wedge between her and Martouf. But, she had escaped... No, Sam thought forcibly, no way!

Thrym grabbed Sam underneath the chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes, the hot metal of his hand device burning into her skin. "My bride," he said, "I fear that you haven't been listening to your husband and your god." And, he backhanded her again, causing an explosion of pain in her other cheek. This time, her eyes widened as she hit the floor. Not in terror, like he supposed triumphantly, but because Samantha Carter had just had an idea. It was a crazy, wild, and unbelievable idea, which is why Sam instantly felt so confident in it. And as she lay there, physically exhausted from hours of torture, it took incredible restraint to keep a look of triumph off of her own face. All she had to do to enact her plan was wait. Wait for the slimy, evil bastard to take her to bed.

Maybe I can even speed him along, she considered cooly now that she had a strategy in mind. She quickened her breath and made it more shallow, causing her chest to heave. Then, tapping into her most feminine wiles, she caused her lips to tremble and her eyes to pool. Thrym eyes grew darker as he watched her breaking before him, helpless and weak and oh so alluring. Yeah, that's right, you sicko, Sam thought victoriously, come and get me.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Sif studied the three men before her. "We are nearing the moon. Thrym's palace is approximately five of your kilometers beyond the village in which you visited. I will be beaming you down right outside of its walls, beside a small courtyard. There is no security outside of this wall, and it should be easy to breach." A virtual display of the palace appeared on a large screen in front of them. "The red dots indicate the presence of a symbiote." She pointed to a room off of the courtyard. "This one is Thrym. The other two red dots inside the room are Jaffa. He has only these two true Jaffa, but, as you can see from all of the gray dots, he has human guards as well." She pointed to a gray dot surrounded by the red ones, "This dot is most likely Major Carter."

Jack looked at Sif, "And tell me again why you can't just zap her out of there."

"As I have already explained, any direct interference could jeopardize all of the protected planets by instigating a war that the Asgard are not equipped to fight at this time. By beaming you outside of the walls, I am protecting you and the humans that you in turn fight to protect." She waited until Jack nodded his acceptance of her explaination, albeit a grudging one. Then she turned to look at Daniel, "Also, I truly wish for the Yotuns to be free of Thrym. It is my hope that after you save Major Carter, that you can somehow help the people of this world."

Jack made an impatient grumble that sounded suspiciously like, "Yeah, right."

Daniel looked from Sif to Jack and back, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll do my best."

Teal'c had been keeping his eye on the screen. "I believe we must beam down as soon as possible."

"Why, Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"Because the Jaffa and other guards have exited the room leaving Major Carter alone with Thrym"

"And that means..." Daniel began.

"It means," Jack said, his face darkening as he fully understood the implications of Teal'c's words, "that we better be down there in less than..."

And the three Tauri soldiers were instantly beamed from the small Asgard craft into a forest next to the wall of a Go'auld palace.

SG1

"Leave us." Thrym ordered. And his Jaffa and guards quickly obeyed, used to similar orders from their god. None of them pitied the woman lying on the floor before him, so used were they to seeing other women in her predicament. Granted, this one had held up under torture much longer than most, but what of that? They were all broken in the end. The Jaffa took up positions outside their master's door.

Thrym approached Sam. "There, there, my sweet bride. Your god sees your need and will have compassion on you." He picked her up, enjoying the feel of her trembling body, and carried her to his bed.

Sam concentrated on keeping her eyes fearful and watery. She must look weak and afraid, she knew. She must play this perfectly. Her insides screamed out in revulsion as her placed her on the bed, as he crawled upon her and started touching her. His left hand, the one wearing the hand device, stoked her chest. Knowing that this was the moment, she grabbed his hand with both of hers and cried out, "Please, no!" Her voice sounded, intentionally like a small whimper.

The Go'auld threw his head back and laughed, "Please, no! My bride, perhaps, you are not so strong after all." But, Sam still held his hand with both of hers. Using the moment of his distraction, she summoned all of her anger and revulsion and pain and frustration and strength and concentrated on that hand device–she could feel the naquada in her blood stirring and mixing with the naquada in the hand device. Then, it was there, the power. With decision, she released it, quickly turning his wrist and sending the force of the hand device on its owner.

SG1

Jack's anger was under control, but just barely. When he thought about what that snakehead could be doing to Carter... He couldn't go there. He needed to keep his head clear to accomplish his objective. He waited impatiently while Teal'c set the C-4. Oh, that Go'auld was going to pay, and Jack was going to enjoy it. Oh, yes.

The wall of the courtyard exploded. SG-1 moved in quickly and efficiently. Teal'c and O'neill disabled the Jaffa flanking the door. Then, Daniel came in pointing a zat and spouting off words of peaceful surrender to the remaining human guards. They were startled and unprepared; they lowered their weapons. Teal'c and Daniel covered them while Jack rushed into the room where he knew he'd find Sam. His own weapon raised.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks. There in the center of the room, lying smashed into the floor, was the Go'auld. Or, what was left of the Go'auld. And standing above him on a hideous bed, nearly naked, and clearly surprised by the destruction at her feet was Carter.

"Carter?" he questioned softly as she met his gaze with dimming eyes. Then, she swooned and Jack, fortunately, had the reflexes to catch her as she fell forward.

She's in shock, he quickly surmised. Her skin was pale and clammy, her pulse erratic. He laid her gently on the floor, and, looking around quickly, he grabbed pillows from the bed to put under her feet. He took off his BDU jacket and carefully, tenderly, wrapped it around her, buttoning her in. "Carter?" He questioned, hoping she was conscious, hoping his voice didn't betray his fear. "You awake?"

Sam opened her eyes, still unfocused, and barely muttered, "Yes, sir."

"That's my girl." He said, and tried to smile, but their was too much concern on his face for the smile to make it to his eyes.

Using his radio, he hailed SG-3 who hoped were still in position near the stargate. "SG-3, this is O'Neill of Sierra Gulf One. Please respond."

He heard a voice crackle back. "Sir, this is SG-3."

"We have infiltrated the Go'auld's palace, the Go'auld is down, and we are attempting to de-escalate the situation with the locals. Our location is approximately nine clicks north, northeast of the Stargate. Dial home and request back-up and a medical team. Major Carter is in shock. I'm sending her towards the gate with Teal'c. Over."

"Copy that, sir. SG-3, out."

Jack gently took Sam's hand in his, surprised by how cold it was. "You're fine, Sam. You're gonna be just fine. I'm going to send Teal'c right in." He felt her squeeze his hand very lightly.

Then, he stood and quickly moved back into the courtyard, zat at the ready. Teal'c, seeing O'Neill emerge, nodded to his friend and entered the chamber. You had to appreciate that level of unspoken communication, Jack thought with mild pride.

Daniel had already lowered his zat and seemed in earnest communication of some sort with the guards and a woman who had emerged from another room off the courtyard. The Jaffa, he saw, had been tied together, and, though they had both recovered consciousness after the zat blasts, they were neither of them struggling to free themselves.

Jack saw Teal'c reenter the courtyard with Sam in his arms. The woman who had been in conversation with Daniel seemed concerned by Sam's condition and offered some sort of help, if her gestures and body language indicated anything

Jack heard Daniel answer, "No. No, thank you. We don't wish to use the sarcophagus. But, again, thank you."

"Teal'c," O'Neill stated.

"Yes, O'Neill?"

"Get her home safe," he said, and Teal'c could her the implied 'for me' at the end of the sentence.

Teal'c smiled at his friend and nodded. "Of that, you can be certain."


	7. Epilogue

Disclaimer- I still don't own Stargate... Bummer.

EPILOGUE

"So," surmised General Hammond. "It was a successful mission."

"Yes, sir," quipped O'Neill. "Once old Thrymie was dead, the Yotuns were more than ready to believe that he wasn't a god. Daniel, of course, took great pains explaining their own history to them, and, thanks to Sif's rock, he had no problems communicating with them this time. They've decided to bury their stargate for the time being, and, though, they aren't interested in renewing a friendship with the Asgard, Sif has assured me that the moon with continue to be under their surveillance."

Hammond looked worried. "Do you think that any of the other Go'auld will suspect that the Asgard broke their agreement and interfered?"

The Colonel just shrugged his shoulders, so it was Daniel who answered. "I don't think so, General. After all, this isn't the first time that SG-1 has led a planet in a rebellion against a Go'auld. The only witnesses to Sif's involvement are in this room."

General Hammond turned to Doctor Frasier who was seated beside him at the briefing table. "And how is Major Carter?" Hammond's tone revealed his genuine concern.

"Considering the circumstances, she's doing remarkably well, General. Judging from the lacerations and bruises, it's safe to assume that she was severely tortured. Her body needs sleep to heal, so I've got her sedated at the moment.. She is recovering from the physical strain of her ordeal, though." Janet paused, reining in her emotions which had barely been under control from the moment she saw her friends injuries. Then, she added, "As to the emotional damage she's suffered, it's hard to say. You remember how using the hand device to kill Seth affected her?" The General nodded, and Janet continued, "But, Sam is one of the strongest women I know... I am going to recommend that she be cleared by the base psychologist, but, all things considered, I imagine that she'll be ready to go back to work in a week or two."

Hammond accepted this information calmly, internally relieved by the report--he had feared worse. "Very well. SG-1, you're on stand down until Major Carter is ready for active duty. Dismissed."

The men of SG-1 stood up and left the briefing room. Hammond didn't have to ask to know that they were headed towards the infirmary to sit with their teammate.

SG1

Daniel studied the serene look on Sam's face while she slept. He held one of her hands, and Jack held the other. Teal'c sat at the foot of the bed, observing the full picture that was his team.

Daniel shook his head, his mind still full of questions and speculations "It's amazing! She's amazing!" Jack and Teal'c both raised solitary eyebrows at him, so he continued, "Don't you find it incredible that Sam had the strength, after hours of torture, to use the Go'auld's hand device against it? I mean, what an insane plan! Who would have ever considered the possibility of using a hand device that someone else was wearing?"

Jack smiled at Daniel's comments. Crazy, brilliant–was there a difference? "That's our girl," he said, pride evident in his voice.

"Indeed." Teal'c added.

Daniel shook his head at his teammate's willingness to accept the situation without question. But, after regarding Sam again and reviewing all of the spectacular feats that she'd accomplished in his presence, he had to concede and simply echo his friends, "Indeed, that's our girl."

The End

A/N- Hope you guys enjoy the end. Thanks again for taking the time to review.


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